YOSSI & JAGGER

Director: Eytan Fox
Stars: Ohad Knoller, Yehuda Levi, Assi Cohen, Aya Steinovitz, Hani Furstenberg
Year: 2002
Rating: R
(in Hebrew w/English subtitles)

The first ten minutes of this film had me wondering if I should watch it at all. Set in the snowy mountains of the Israel/Lebanon border, the film is about a platoon from the Israeli Defense Forces who are staking out the mountain in case of an ambush. The group of tired, overworked men is led by Yossi (Ohad Knoller) - their young but very macho, no-nonsense commander - and his platoon leader, Jagger (Yehuda Levi), who is more of a fun-loving free spirit. Early in the film, when Yossi pulls Jagger off work detail for a walk around the perimeter, making sure things are okay, viewers learn very fast that the two men are actually lovers - and evidently have been for some time. So when the guys got away from the other men, then fell into the snow for some kissing and warm conversation, my first thought was, "Oh God, a soft-core porn flick pretending to be more" (as many gay-themed films are today).

But I stuck with it - and, much to my surprise, the film was a hell of a lot more.

Though Yossi is obviously the more closeted one, both men have to (of course) keep their real relationship secret from the other men - and the Israeli military - if they want to avoid any trouble. Their initial "love scene" (such as it is; if you're looking for gratuitous nudity or sex here, you're going to be disappointed) is brief but sweet, basically establishing that they really a couple, as opposed to just sex buddies or the like. Jagger, in fact, is completely in love with Yossi - a fast that's complicated when the leader of a different platoon (and Yossi's superior) comes to visit, and brings with him a pair of attractive female soldiers the guys are happy to see again ... one of whom in particular (Aya Steinovitz) has been in love with Jagger for sometime, trying to work up the nerve to tell him so. Worse yet, a misconstrued scene between this girl and Jagger, by one of the soldiers under Yossi's command (Assi Cohen) who in turn is in love with this girl, could threaten both Jagger and the exposure of his relationship with the company commander.

And when Yossi's commander sends the company on another ambush mission, by then the tension's built up enough, you're not sure what is going to happen - and even though, in all honesty, the ending of the film might be very easy to figure out long beforehand (as I did), it still doesn't take away from the emotional impact of the film ... or the tears in your eyes as the screen fades out.

The two male leads, Knoller and Levi, are both perfectly suited to their roles, garnering your sympathy (especially from Levi's Jagger, who only wants to keep him and Yossi alive long enough to get out of the military and go away somewhere, where the two of them can be together), and it's because of them the film works so well. At only 64 minutes, it's a short little film about love and war - but one which surprises with real emotional impact in the end. The lack of unnecessary nudity or sexual content only lets you concentrate on the story and characters more, and that's a real plus here, in what ends up being a rich and touching film I was very glad I stuck with, after all. **** - Reel Awesome